Aldow

?Aldow!

13 min / color video
USA 2008
Directorsirectorsirectors: Ngoc Ho, Aaron Tao, Winston Tao, Zack Spradling
Lee Bruce is trying to get into Berkeley but there’s just one problem. His teacher has just assigned a critical thinking paper on random events for him to write. First off, nothing ever random happens in the predictable life of Lee Bruce.
Secondly, he sucks at English. It’s the night before the
paper is due and Lee has wasted away most of his time in the library. Suddenly a book drops on the ground from a dark bookshelf. A strange figure appears and Lee will quickly learn that random events can come in the form of a figure, one who dons a red and white striped shirt.

Secret Chinese Secret

5 min / color video
USA 2007
Directorirectorirector: Viet Nguyen
Peter realizes it won’t be another boring day at the office when he finds out his friend is massaging money out of their co-workers, and and that the new girl is interested in him. Secret Chinese Secret was written and produced in 72 hours.

A Film In A Minute

1 min / color video
USA 2008
Director: Roland Nguyen
Tension between brothers.

Skate Free

3 min / color video
USA 2007
Directorirectorirector: Tony Toka
A spoken word poetry piece that explores the ideas of being successful, having a job, and the American Dream, versus tuning out and being an artist. Shot guerilla style, this short is composed of one take by Andy Vu in the parking structure of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Tieng Cho Tru

Tiếng Chó Tru

7 min / color video
Vietnam 2008
DirectorirectorirectorS: K3FSP, Charlie Nguyen
A man in Hanoi tries to get rid of his noisy dog.

Oh Mommy

Mẹ Ơi!

5 min / color video
USA 2007
Director: Jenni Trang Le
A baby quail emerges from his egg to find himself in a lonely world. He encounters an Elephant, Tiger, and Rhino family, but in his heart, something is still missing. This is a journey to find courage, warmth and… his mommy.

Click here for film!

ViFF 2009 Wraps Up with Awards to Top Films

Trống Đồng Awards went to FOOTY LEGENDS (feature), directed by Khoa Đỗ and A Summer Rain (short), directed by Ela Thier.

Audience Choice Awards went to OPERATION BABYLIFT: The Lost Children of Vietnam (feature), directed by Tammy Nguyễn Lee and Delivery Day (short), directed by Jane Manning.

Irvine, CA-The 4th biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) closed on April 12th to a cheering crowd with the Southern California premiere of ALL ABOUT DAD, a feature debut by Mark Tran. The night went on with a jungle-themed gala. All events took place at the University of California in Irvine (UCI).

Carrying the theme of Into View, the 8-day film festival featured over sixty short and feature films by emerging and established filmmakers from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the United States. The event attracted more than 3,000 cinema enthusiasts from all over the world and was extensively covered by international and local press.

The prestigious Trống Đồng Awards were presented to FOOTY LEGENDS (feature), directed by Khoa Đỗ (Australia) and A Summer Rain (short), directed by Ela Thier (USA). “I am thrilled that FOOTY LEGENDS has been awarded the 2009 Vietnamese International Film Festival’s highest honor, the Grand Jury “Trống Đồng” Award in Irvine,” said director Khoa Đỗ. “For an Australian film to be recognized in this way is very rare and on behalf of all Australians back home, we are delighted to accept this award.”

Audience Choice Awards went to OPERATION BABYLIFT: The Lost Children of Vietnam (feature), directed by Tammy Nguyễn Lee and Delivery Day (short), directed by Jane Manning. “Being invited to join the growing Vietnamese American artist community and have our world premiere at VIFF was a huge honor. With the adoptees and Babylift volunteers in attendance, it was truly a special and unique evening. “We are so grateful for the warm reception we received at VIFF and even more thrilled to receive the Audience Choice Award,” producer/director Tammy Nguyễn Lee said.

ViFF also presented the Spotlight Award to actor Dustin Nguyễn to celebrate the great achievements that mark his acting career. The award was handed to Dustin Nguyễn by the renowned actress Kiều Chinh.

ViFF was spread throughout Southern California with screenings at UC Irvine’s Film and Video Center and Edwards University Cinema 6, both in Irvine, UCLA in Los Angeles, CA, and Bowers Museum, Santa Ana.

ViFF is presented by the two non-profit organizations Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) and UCLA’s Vietnamese Language and Culture (VNLC). ViFF was established in October 2003 to showcase Vietnamese and Vietnamese Diasporic filmmakers. ViFF’s mission is to support, celebrate, and project a diversity of visions and voices from filmmakers of Vietnamese descent and films by, for, and about the Vietnamese people and culture.

ViFF is made possible by sponsorships/support of: Ford Foundation; UC Irvine (School of Humanities, Department of Film and Media Studies, Film and Video Center, Community & Government Relations, UCI Advancement,Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA), Department of Asian American Studies, International Center for Writing and Translation (ICWT), Cross Cultural Center, Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), Vietnamese Student Association(VSA), Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA), UCLA’s Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Undergraduate Student Association (USAC); Bowers Museum, Wells Fargo, Union Bank, State Farm, Dr. & Mrs. Jan Vilcek, Jayvee Hiep Mai, Elite Insurance, Nguyet Cam Music, Wave Releasing, Chakra Restaurant, DTN-Tech, Karuna Healthcare, White Knight International, Inc., St. Anselm’s Cross Cultural Community Center…

Media sponsors: VAN-TV, VHN-TV, LA18 (KSCI), VNCR, QMS Media Group, Little Saigon Radio, Hon Viet TV, Viet Tide, Saigon TV, VBS TV, OC Life Magazine….

Co-presenters: American Red Cross - Orange County Chapter, API Equality-LA, Asian Pacific American Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., Asian Pacific Legal Center Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA) at UC Irvine, Club O’ Noodles, Hawaii International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian, Pacific Film Festival, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Project MotiVATe (MotivatingVietnamese American Teens), San Diego Asian Film Festival, St. Anselm’s Cross-Cultural Community Center, The Cambodian Family, UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation (VACF), Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC) at UC Irvine, Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA) at UC Irvine, Vietnamese American Law Student Association at Chapman University School of Law (VALSA), Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO), Vietnamse Student Association (VSA) at UC Irvine.

April 12 - Closing

Download The Official Program Schedule (PDF)

SUNDAY, April 12th CLOSING DAY @ UC Irvine

12:00pm - 2:00pm - Set 22: The Moon At the Bottom of the Well (Room HIB 100)

Feature: The Moon At the Bottom of the Well (TRĂNG NƠI ĐÁY GIẾNG) - Nguyen Vinh Son / Vietnam / 2008 / 84 min

2:00pm - 2:30pm - Q&A

12:00pm - 1:30pm - Set 23: The Art Beats in Vietnam (repeat) (Room HIB 110)

The Art Beats in Vietnam (repeat)

• A Child Has Seen a Fire (Đứa Bé Nhìn Thấy Lửa) - Tran Ly Tri Tan / Vietnam / 2008 / 17 min
• Saigon Heat - Danny Do & Andy Vu / Vietnam / 2007 / 18 min
• Vietnam Overtures - Stephane Gauger / Vietnam/ 2008 / 60 min

1:30pm - 2:00pm - Q&A

3:00pm - 5:00pm - Panel Discussion: Reel to Real: International Networks (Room HIB 100) - Panelists to be announced

CLOSING NIGHT

6:00pm - 7:00pm - Awards Ceremony

7:00pm - 8:20pm - ALL ABOUT DAD - Mark Tran / USA / 2008 / 80 min

8:20pm - 9:00pm - Q&A

9:00pm - 12:30pm - Closing Night Gala @ Cross Cultural Center (UC Irvine)

Click on a date below to view the program for that day!

April 2 | April 3 | April 4 | April 5 | April 9 | April 10 | April 11 | April 12

April 11

Download The Official Program Schedule (PDF)

Attention: Films with * contain mature contents. Viewer discretion advised.

SATURDAY, April 11th SPOTLIGHT AWARD NIGHT @ UC Irvine

12:00pm - 1:45pm - Set 17: Odd Coupling (Room HIB 100)

Odd Coupling

• Noah & Amy - Kel-Ann Hsieh, Kevin Cao / USA / 2008 / 3 min
• You’ve Got Male - Christopher Nguyen, Nadine Truong, Ryan Kim / USA / 2007 / 5 min
• R & R - Vu Trung Hoa / USA / 2009 / 18 min
• Four Letter Word - Bobby Vu / USA / 2008 / 35 min
• Anniversary - Huy Quang Vu / USA / 2008 / 16 min
• Vincent* - Elodie Ly Tri / France / 2007 / 16 min
• Dragon of Love - Doan La / USA / 2003 / 10 min

1:45pm - 2:00pm - Q&A

12:00pm - 1:30pm - Set 18: Redemption (repeat) (Room HIB 110)

Redemption

• In The Dark - Nadine Truong / USA / 2008 / 24 min
• Fortunate Son - Sydney Quashie , Rollin Herold / USA / 2004 / 15 min
• Down in Number 5 - Kim Spurlock / USA / 2005 / 18 min
• 7500 Miles to Redemption - Emiko Omori / USA / 2007 / 30 min

1:30pm - 2:00pm - Q&A

3:00pm - 4:15pm - Set 19: A Village Called Versailles (Room HIB 100)

Feature: A Village Called Versailles - S. Leo Chiang / USA / 2009 / 75 min - Sneak Preview (Room HIB 100)

4:15pm - 5:30pm - Panel Discussion: Rebuilding the Community Post-Katrina (Panelists to be announced)

3:00pm - 4:35pm - Set 20: Life Goes On (Room HIB 110)

Life Goes On

• Prelude, Hereafter - Kevin Ta / USA / 2008 / 6 min
• Life Out of a Stone (Đội Đá Vá Đời) - Ho Thanh Tuan / Vietnam / 2008 / 19 min
• Rims of Wheels (Những Vòng Xe) - Le Hoai Vu / Vietnam / 2008 / 29 min
• Green Meadow (Thảo Nguyên Xanh Tươi) - Phan Y Ly / Vietnam / 2007 / 40 min

4:35pm - 5:00pm - Q&A

6:00pm - 10:00pm - Set 21: SPOTLIGHT ON DUSTIN NGUYEN (Room HIB 100)

6:00pm - 7:00pm - Wine reception hosted by Wells Fargo

7:00pm - 7:30pm - Spotlight Award Presentation

7:30pm - 9:25pm - Spotlight Film - LITTLE FISH*- Rowan Woods / 114 min / 2006 / Australia

9:25pm - 9:45pm - Q&A

Click on a date below to view the program for that day!

April 2 | April 3 | April 4 | April 5 | April 9 | April 10 | April 11 | April 12

All About Dad

Mark Tran’s poignant feature debut All About Dad begins with a deceptively simpkie image—that of a
Vietnamese father trying to straighten a leaning tree on his immaculate front lawn with his bare hands, but
with no success. Instead of giving up and allowing the tree to bend naturally, the father becomes more
stubborn and frustrated as he repeatedly tries to fight and undo nature.
And so we are introduced to Mr. Do, the patriarch of the Do family. There is no doubt that Mr. Do loves his
wife and four children—Ty, Xuan, Binh, and Linh. It is also painfully apparent that his love constitutes strict
roles, responsibilities, and expectations of what each child should act, think, and feel. In Mr. Do’s eyes, the
only correct path to success and happiness in life is complete devotion to the Catholic faith, higher education, and the goal of having a stable job. Any digression from these three tenants is a recipe for compromise and  failure in the world.

Much to his dismay and disappointment, Mr. Do quickly realizes that every one of his children may not
subscribe to his philosophy. Ty, the youngest of the Do clan, is on the verge of dropping his Biology major to devote full-time to being a filmmaker; Xuan, fresh from passing her medical board exam, is most at peace playing her guitar and singing; Binh, the straight A student, is completely enraptured by his secret girlfriend; Linh, already engaged, is afraid to tell her father that her fiancé is not Catholic. These potentially explosive revelations do not stay in the dark for long…And as a result, hilarity, poignancy, and redemption ensue when light is finally shed on them.
Much like a painter working with a vast canvas but still giving each color and shade its due, director Tran
gives each character equal screen time, their struggles and triumphs conveyed through small yet poetic
moments—a heartbreaking look in a mother’s eyes; an eye-opening reconciliation between two stubborn
neighbors; a rooftop connection between sister and brother, aided by a song and the shimmering lights of
the city at dusk. All these moments blend seamlessly into a broad portrayal of a very modern Vietnamese
American family. Tran’s deft and original handling of a seemingly familiar theme of old world (immigrant
parents) versus new world (kids born and raised in America) is what gives All About Dad a healthy and
humanistic dose of poignancy and pathos.
By the time of its closing credits, director Tran comes full circle with that seemingly simple opening image
of Mr. Do trying to physically straighten that ever-bending tree; it is an image that belies its multi-layered
nuances and meanings. To give away any more of “All About Dad” would surely spoil this truly tender and
unforgettable tale of getting out of the way and letting “nature” takes its course.
- Alex Luu

USA / 2008 / 80 mins / color video
English and Vietnamese with English subtitles
PRODUCER:  Barnaby Dallas
DIRECTOR / WRITER:  Mark Tran
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Todd Banhazl
Sound:  John Larosa
Editor :   Jeremy Castillo
Main Cast:   David Huynh, Chi Pham, Yen Ly, Minh Do, Yvonne Truong, Nanrisa Lee, Hunter Vo, Eric Callero, Steven Cloyes

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